Groceries & Guns
by Andorian Ice Princess-AIP
Summary: Erin gets a call about a late night robbery but when she arrives, is told that there are a few hostages inside, some are wounded and one is dead. But what happens when Erin finds out one of the hostages is Kelly Severide? CHAP 3 UP NOW
1. Shopping for Trouble?

**Title: Groceries & ****Guns**  
 **Chapter 1 – Shopping for Trouble?**

 **Summary:** Erin gets a call about a late night robbery but when she arrives, is told that there are a few hostages inside, some are wounded and one is dead. But what happens when Erin finds out one of the hostages is Kelly Severide?

 **Disclaimer:** Chicago Fire and its characters are the property of Dick Wolfe, NBC and….well sadly not me if so then the ever yummy Lt. Severide would be all mine

 **A/N:** Okay so back with another little ficlet and of course it has some Kelly danger/whump b/c I love me some hurt Kelly and worried/caring Erin and hehe of course gotta have some Kelly/Matt in here hope you all like it!

* * *

"Think we're out of…everything! You know…why can't we have good groceries to cook with!"

"Herrmann's about to lose it," Casey deadpans as he looks at Severide who snickers and then both 51 Lieutenants look at Herrmann who looks back at them with a distressed expression.

"We have a box of Quinoa and Mr. Noodles. How do you expect us to function on this crap…stuff," he quickly recants as Boden enters the room.

"I gotta buy some extra batteries for the truck flashlights," Severide volunteers as he hands a pad of paper and pen. "Quite whining and write down what you think we need."

"This _whining_ will keep us from eating…that," Herrmann retorts in sarcasm as he rips off the top page and flings the list at Severide, making those around them laugh.

"He does have a point," Casey defends his firefighter as Herrmann looks up at Severide with a proud nod.

"I agree," Severide retorts sheepishly as Casey snickers. But a few seconds later Casey notices Severide write something down on the other piece of note paper and then quickly scribbles over it. He looks up to see Casey watching him with arched brows and purses his lips. "What?"

"Could…always invite her to the house for dinner," Casey deadpans as Severide rolls his eyes and crumples up the little piece of paper in his fist and shoves it in his pocket.

"Ha ha…" Severide deadpans as his expression turns serious.

"Well…you never know what she'll say until you ask."

"And if she says yes, you can stop moping about it," Herrmann groans as he shoves the list into Severide's open palm; Severide looking at him in shock. "Mouch tells Platt everything."

"I do not," Mouch tries to argue back and then grins; Severide just shaking his head.

"Do too!" Herrmann counters his best friend as Mouch's lips purse. "And then you tell me."

"Alright…be right back," Severide huffs as shoves the real list into his pocket.

"Good man," Casey teases his friend with a pat on the back.

"I'm gonna stop for a Big Mac on the way back," Severide whispers to Casey as he heads for the exit doors.

"I heard that!" Herrmann calls out as Casey laughs.

 _'Just ask her already.'_

Severide slowly walks toward his car, his keys jingling in his grasp as his warm breath leaves trails in the cool night air. He starts the engine and rubs his hands together before he slowly pulls out of the lot and heads for the nearest grocery store. He couldn't blame Herrmann for being ticked off about their lack of culinary offerings but in the food's defense they had been bombarded with tense calls the past two days and there wasn't time to replenish what they'd had eaten. Until now.

Severide reaches the quiet grocery store and slowly heads inside, grabs the handle of the nearest cart and then heads toward the back of the store and the meat section. "Hey Larry."

"Hey Kelly. What can I do for the CFD tonight?"

"Apparently we're done with the Quinoa diet," Severide snickers as he hands the older man behind the meat counter part of the list.

"Sissy food," his large frame offers a hearty laugh as Severide smiles.

"I'll get the rest of the non-sissy food and be right back."

"Take your time."

Severide's lips offer a small whistle as he heads for the aisle with bread and canned goods. "Okay so what else…" he mumbles as he slowly walks up the aisle, not aware of what was going to happen at the front of the store a few moments later. He bends down to grab a few cans of spiced beans off the bottom shelf, his ears picking up a few loud shouts from the front of the store. "Ah hell," he groans as one of the cans escapes his grasp, sails to the floor and then rolls under the shelf. But just before he's about to drop to his knees, an unexpected sound in a grocery store instantly grabs his attention.

"GIVE IT TO ME NOW!"

 ***Bang***

"What the hell?" Severide states in shock as he drops the cans into his cart and rushes toward the front of the store. But just as he comes out of the aisle and rounds the corner, he stops short just as two men in black masks raise their guns and point them directly at him.

XXXXXXXX

"What's…that?"

"Notification for the annual Firefighter/Paramedic's ball," Erin answers her partner as they sit in their dark police issue sedan a few blocks down from the tense situation that Kelly Severide is now enduring.

"You're…going?"

"No I uh…it was just something that popped into my phone," she tries to brush it off as nothing. "You could always arm wrestle Antonio and ask Brett."

"Or Gabby."

"You really wanna go there?" Erin shoots back as Jay tosses her a wry smile. "How abou…" is all she manages before the police radio cracks to life and both pay instant attention. "That's just around the corner."

"Let's go…" Jay replies as he calls it in.

They hear another set of officers also answer so she tells herself that since it was just a routine grocery store robbery, they'd let the uniformed officers deal with it and they'd just be there for backup in case needed. However, as she nears the store and notices the familiar mustang parked out front, her anxiety starts to rise.

"That's…Kelly's car," she states slowly as the radio cracks to life once more.

"Say again dispatch?" Jay asks in haste as Erin looks over in surprise.

"Did she say hostages?"

"She did. Come on…let's see what's going on," Jay suggests as he calls it in as Erin stops the car a few stores down from the storefront.

"Is Kelly in there?" She states in a quiet but worried tone as both get out and then stealthily make their way toward the front. Erin peers through the side of the front window; her eyes searching for any signs of the 51 Firehouse Lieutenant.

"You sure that's his…"

"I see him," her voice interjects in a panicked whisper. "Damn. Three armed men and…I see blood on the floor. Someone's shot. This…it's a woman. Looks bad. We need to get inside."

"Erin…"

"We can't wait. I'm going around the back. If I need a distraction I'll let you know."

"Hurry. Those uni's will be here soon and then those guys are gonna start to make plans to run with all guns blazing."

Erin pulls away and disappears into the shadows, running down the darkened side of the building toward the back, hoping for an entrance while her partner calls in an update to dispatch.

 _"Erin's doing what?" Voight asks Jay in haste; having overheard the call update._

XXXXXXXX

"She needs medical attention," Severide implores as he drops to his knees beside the young woman that had been mistakenly shot by one of the robbers.

"Come on Luke…we need to get the hell outta here!"

"Don't say my name you idiot!"

"Cops are coming!"

"Who the hell called the damn cops!"

Severide looks at the two masked men, the third one behind them and can only assume that since Larry wasn't there with them that he had gotten out and called the cops or at least he hopes he has. "She's bleeding bad!"

"Shut up!" The one named Luke shouts as he rushes up to Severide and points the gun at him and then marches up to him with a heavy stomp. "Shut up big shot!" He demands as he clips Severide in the temple with the gun. Not enough to take him down but enough to remind him he wasn't in charge; the fresh blood also telling him to comply or else more would be shed.

"Leave him alone and let's get the hell out of here!" Another stated anxiously.

With his bloody hands still on the wound of the injured woman he looks up at the masked man with a heavy frown.

"You a bit shot, f _irefighter_?"

"Let me take her to the hospital."

"Leave him! We need to get out here before the cops trap us in here!"

"Too late!"

XXXXXXXX

Erin nears the back entrance to the supermarket and then stops when she hears a soft groan. She whips around to see someone lying on their side in the shadows. "Are you armed?" She asks as she points her gun at the shadow that stops moving.

"Not…armed…shot," the man grunts as he slowly comes out of the shadows and stands before Erin a few seconds with his hands and arms clutching his bloody arm before he starts to falter. But just before he can crash to the ground on his knees, Jay appears and quickly grabs the older man.

"Call a medic."

"Think they're planning to bolt," Jay tells her as they hear shouting inside and sires nearing their location. "We need to keep them contained."

"I'm going in. Barricade the door and…"

"Erin…"

"Get him help and then come in after me."

"Just keep…your head up and watch your back," Jay warns as she gives her partner a nod and then quietly slips into the back of the grocery store; her ears picking up the sound of Jay putting something in front of the lock on the outside before it goes quiet.

She hears angry footsteps heading toward her and quickly ducks behind one of the large freezers as two men in black rush toward the door.

"Who the hell…jammed this!"

"Someone got out! They called the cops Aaron! And Luke…he's gonna get us all killed!"

"We can't get out this way! We have to go out the front door!"

"We better go before the cops trap us in this damn place!"

Erin pulls back before she's seen, listening to the two men as they rush out of the back room and hurry toward the front of the store. She closes her eyes for a few seconds as she tries to get her heart rate to slow. _One shot…Kelly's okay…a mother and her son and two elderly people…and me._

She can only hope that Jay gets the injured man some help and then comes to help her. She takes some comfort in the fact that they were the ones who had barricaded the back door so were able to re-open it when the crisis was over. She just hoped that the crisis would be over soon.

She'd be wrong…it was just about to get a whole lot worse.

Seeing only one left, Severide looks down at the young woman he's trying to keep alive and then up at the masked gunman in an attempt to either get him to let her go or be distracted long enough for him to try to tackle him. The latter presents itself first.

Severide watches the masked gunman turn his back toward them and face the front windows and knows he has only seconds to act – he does. He whispers to the woman that she's going to be fine and then just acts. Severide pushes himself up to his feet and then charges toward the back of the masked gunman.

His body was just about to collide with the robber when the other two rounded the corner and Erin stepped out from her hiding spot.

She can only watch in horrible slow motion as one of the men raises their gun to fire; her hand trying to bring hers up at the same time but cursing as her view is instantly blocked by the body of the other.

 ***Bang!***

A shot rings out and a silent scream escapes her lips, her eyes widening in horror as she watches Kelly Severide's body jerks with the gunshot and he falters to his knees as a painful cry escapes his lips as he crashes to the ground.

 _Kelly!_

"NO!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Oh I just can't resist my Kelly in peril/whump hehe with a worried/concerned Erin. But did Erin just give herself away? Will she be able to help Kelly? Will Erin's team get them out in time? Or is more trouble ahead? Please do review before you go and thanks so much!


	2. Express Lane to Disaster?

**Title: Groceries & Guns  
** **Chapter 2 – Express Lane to Disaster?**

* * *

 _A shot rings out and a silent scream escapes her lips, her eyes widening in horror as she watches Kelly Severide's body jerks with the gunshot and he falters to his knees as a painful cry escapes his lips as he crashes to the ground._

 _Kelly!_

 _"NO!"_

Had it been anyone else who had gotten shot, she would have been able to rationalize it and keep herself hidden but when she was forced to watch in horrible slow motion as Kelly, who had been heroically trying to get help for another, something inside automatically reacted and she knows she's in trouble.

 _Get rid of your gun fast!_ Her brain commands as Severide's frame collapses to the floor and three black faces turn toward the back.

"HEY! GET HER! THOUGHT YOU SAID THE BACK WAS CLEAR!"

Erin rushes for the back door and can only curse her fate and back luck as it's still locked – Jay not returning from taking the older man to the medics. If they find out she's a cop she knows she's doomed. So just before they reach her, she quickly removes her gun and tosses it onto a nearby shelf and then watches as the armed man rushes toward her.

She lets out an automatic yelp as a gloved hand grabs a handful of hair and yanks her back, spinning her around and then pointing his gun in her face.

"Hands up!"

"Sure. Wha…"

"Shut up! Where were you?"

"Storage. I uh…the back doors locked and…" Erin forced a stammer and pretended to be scared and shaken. "What's…going on?"

"Bring her up here!"

"Move it!"

The masked man grabs Erin by the arm and starts to drag her toward the front of the store; her eyes quickly racing to find Kelly while at the same time looking up toward the front of the store where she hopes her partner is looking through the glass and seeing her current predicament.

Jay does but also knows with the attackers now escalating and her as a hostage, means the stakes are time is fast running out.

The attacker pulls Erin to the front and then pushes her down by the woman already bleeding, the one that Kelly Severide had been shot over trying to get help.

"She needs…help," Severide manages as his right hand clamps down on the gunshot wound on his left side.

Erin's breath instantly sucks in as she watches one of the masked men near him and deliver a hard kick to his injured side; making him cry out in pain even more. "Stop it!" She exclaims as one of them turns and glowers at her. "He's…shot."

"You'll be joining him if you don't shut it!"

"P-please…I don't ….want to die."

Erin hears the scared plea and looks down at the woman a few meters away from her and then up at the masked men. "Can I help her?"

"NO!"

"Aaron we have to move now!"

"No names!"

"The back door is locked. From the outside!"

"What?"

"Cops man! They trapped us in this damn place!"

Severide lifts his slightly watery eyes and looks at Erin, at first not actually believing it was but as his vision came into focus he locks eyes with hers and holds her worried gaze for a few seconds before his gaze drops to the injured woman a few meters away and his brow furrows.

He doesn't even have to say anything as she knows its's in his nature, the look in his tormented sapphire pools that he should be helping anyone injured despite his own personal injuries.

"She needs…medical attention."

"Listen firefighter…"

"We need to get out of here and fast! I think there's just a few little rent-a-cops out there! Let's shoot our way out the back and get the hell outta here! There's three of us! Anyone in our way, we mow them down!"

But just before another one of them can talk, the store phone rings and they know they are out of time.

"It's the cops calling from outside! We're wasting time! They'll want to negotiate but we have nothing!"

"Just shut up and let me think!"

"I say we go out the back!"

"H-help…me…" the woman pleads once more as her voice becomes weaker.

"David!"

"Shut up about the names!" The leader in charge growls before he realizes that time is running out for them. "Okay…check the back!"

"Pl-please…"

Unable to hear the pleading any longer, Erin quickly shuffles over on her knees and then presses down on the wound to stop the bleeding.

"I said…" one of them shouts as he grabs a handful of hair and tries to pull Erin back. This time, it's Severide's instincts that automatically kick in as he watches her being mistreated.

"Hey!" Severide shouts as he pushes past his own pain, swings his legs out which cause the masked man to let go of Erin and stumble into one of the grocery aisles.

Erin tries to pull one of them back as the other rushes toward Severide and yanks him back, while the other jerks himself free of Erin's grasp and stomps toward an already fallen Severide. But just before his large boot can connect with Severide's tender mid-section; the third man returns and then looks at them in surprise.

"I think I found a way out! What the hell is going on here?"

"I'm gonna finish him off first!" The man named David hisses as he points his gun at Severide's head and prepares to fire.

"You can't kill a damn firefighter!"

"Yeah David let's just get the hell outta here!" Aaron pleads as the store phone rings once more.

"Leave the damn phone! If the cops wanna come in, they'll just find a bunch of dead bodies!"

"So….what the hell do we do now?"

"We go out the back and take one of them with us! There's only two cars there!"

"Don't…be stupid…" Severide manages as he tries to get upright and stem the flow of his blood. Erin looks at Kelly in distress and remorse and prays that he stays quiet or else suffer further physical consequences. He doesn't. "There's more… on the way."

"Shut up!"

"Bring her and let's get the hell outta here!"

The one named Luke turns back toward Erin, grabs her arm and yanks her upward and then starts to drag her toward the back.

"Erin!" Severide gasps in pain as one of them stomps back toward him with a snarl. "No…leave her…alone," he offers with another painful hiss as his injured side already which instantly agitates Erin further.

"Kelly!" Erin shouts as she's pulled around the corner and out of view, her ears picking up a few painful grunts from his lips; her heart instantly aching and her stomach seizing. "This is a big mistake!" She tells David as she tries to yank her arm free.

"You're our insurance so stop fussing!" He hissed as he smacks her ion the cheek with the butt end of his gun, making her face instantly snap to the right and her cheek sting.

"Hope you said goodbye to your boyfriend!" Luke sneers as he looks at Severide who looks up with an angry glare.

"Let's move it!"

At the same time Voight had been watching from the front as the scene unfolded and ordered the rest of his team to take strategic positions in the alley behind the store and to wait for them to come out before trying to take them for fear of hurting Erin further.

 _"They're coming out the back!" Voight's gruff voice tells Jay, who is already in place. "Medics are a block out and on standby."_

"It's open!"

"Cops did it! I tell you, they're waiting for us!"

"Aaron, check it out!" David, the one in charge angrily barks as Erin tries to pull herself free of Luke's grasp.

"I don't see anyone! Let's go now!"

Aaron is the first to push through the door with David gesturing to Luke to get Erin and himself outside while he'd bring up the rear.

But just as they step outside, another person enters the equation, one that no one accounted for or expected; one that had slipped through their perimeter. The half-drunk man stumbles toward the area where Jay is hiding and then stops and raises his bottle. At the same time Aaron hears the words but isn't able to turn back in time.

"Evening….offisher…" the man slurs with a grin before he offers a mock salute and then pulls the bottle back to his lips.

 _"Who the hell is that!" Voight's angry voice is heard._

 _"He just came out of the shadows!"_

 _"We've been made!"_

"It's a trap!" Aaron shouts as he fires in the direction Jay was hiding. Jay quickly steps from the shadows and fires back, taking out his mark with an expert shot. However, Antonio isn't able to get off a clean shot and only wounds the man holding Erin; David yanking her back inside a few seconds later.

Luke curses as he fires off a few shots in Antonio's direction; forcing him to take cover while he ducks back inside with a few angry curses.

However, as soon as Severide saw them all disappear from view, he wasted no time in biting back a painful gasp and making his way toward the injured woman, telling the younger teenage boy to run to the front door and open it.

"I…don't wanna…die," the injured woman pleads as Severide hears the shots and knows he's out of time. With a painful gasp he pulls her toward the door in the hopes that Voight's team will take her before the robbers come back.

"Take her!" He directs as his head starts to spin and his heart rate beat a bit faster and harder in his throbbing chest. He knows he has to give them all a chance to get outside to get help; his own personal comfort would come second.

"Severide!" Voight calls out.

"Take…them!" Severide ells Voight, who doesn't know badly he's injured.

At the same time Erin, hears the commotion, hears Severide's and Voight's voice and can only hope and pray that Voight has managed to get everyone outside and they'd only have to worry about her safety. But when she watches one of the displays topple down around them, she knows that Severide was still inside. _Course he is! It's in his nature to help everyone else but himself first – he'd be last, it was his personal code._

However, David managed to free himself of the entanglement, push himself back up and rush toward Severide just as he tried to race toward the front entrance were Voight was rushing toward him to get him out. David flings himself at Severide's legs, taking them both down to the linoleum in a jumble of arms and legs.

"Kelly!" Erin shouts as she scrambles to get up and away from Luke's grasp.

"Drop it! You're surrounded!"

But instead of complying, David fires off a few shots at Voight, sending the angered police Sargent scrambling for cover! Voight fires off a few shots as Jay and Antonio carefully enter the back of the store.

"You're surrounded! No way out!"

"He's…my way out!" David hisses as he wraps his arm around Severide's neck and yanks him backward. Still losing blood and now having his oxygen supply starting to dry up, the grip from Severide's bloody hands on David's arm start to lessen. "He's going to die!"

"Drop your weapons!" Voight demands; hoping to buy some time for Jay and Antonio to take out Luke who still has Erin in his grasp.

"Mr. Fireman's blood will be on your hands if you don't let me out of here!"

"And what about your partner?" Voight shouts back, picking up on the solo request – _me._

"David!" Luke snarls as he tries to keep Erin in his grasp. "I've been shot!"

"Shut up Luke!"

"Listen to your partner," Voight tries once more.

"No! YOU listen to me!" David shouts at Voight. "He's losing a lot of blood man! If you don't let me leave, I'll finish him for good!"

"Then you'll be charged with murder!" Voight counters as Jay and Antonio move in closer. "Right now it'll be lesser charges. Murder one is serious."

"Man I ain't going down for accessory to murder!" Luke calls out to David.

Erin spies Jay as he ducks behind a shelf and knows what she has to do.

"If he dies…"

"Shut…shut up," Luke chants.

"He's a firefighter. You're an accessory to murdering a firefighter!"

"No…no this can't…" he stammers as his grasp on her loosens. Now it was time to act. Jay moves in closer.

She gives her partner a nod as she tries to twist herself around in Luke's grasp. The heel of her boot comes down onto the top of his foot and her elbow flies backward into his groin which makes him cry out in pain and then turn around to get a better grasp on his prisoner. But in doing so he watches Jay and Antonio advancing toward him with large shotguns drawn and he instantly lets go of Erin.

Erin drops to her knees as both of them demand him to drop his gun or else.

"Do-don't shoot," Luke stammers as he Jay rushes toward him with his shotgun raised.

"Just you now!" Voight reminds David as Luke curses but instantly drops his weapon and allows himself to be pulled toward the back, cuffed and then taken away; Erin taking Jay's shotgun and trying to find a way behind David.

"Your surrounded David! Let him go!" Erin angrily demands as David's masked eyes turn to see where Luke had been and can only curse in frustration.

Erin looks at Kelly Severide's limp frame in David's grasp and feels her agitation starting to skyrocket. _Please…please let him go…_

"I want my passage. I'm gonna count to five."

"Yeah? Well, I'm gonna count to three!" Voight offers his final warning.

"Yeah? And then what?" David shouts back with a sneer.

"Then the detective behind you is gonna shoot."

David slightly turns to see Erin holding the gun in the air before she pumps it to get it ready to fire. "Give me a reason," she whispers angrily as his dark eyes narrow under the mask.

"Do it now!" Voight demands one last time.

For Erin, it can't come fast enough but when she finally sees David drop his gun and Voight rush toward him to cuff him, she tosses the shotgun to the floor and hurries to Kelly Severide's side; dropping to her knees and instantly feeling for a pulse.

"Kelly! Medic….we need…oh God there's so much blood. We need a medic in here NOW!"

Erin looks back down at Kelly's pale and placid expression as his pulse starts to fade and his breathing shallow and then….stop. "No…you can't….die. You can't die!"

"Kelly!"

* * *

 **A/N:** uh oh….Love me some hurt Kelly but also love me some angry Voight hehe and of course angry and worried Erin *sigh* hope you all enjoyed this angsty little actiony update and please do review before you go and thanks so much!


	3. Shopping List for a Fresh Start

**Title: Guns & Groceries  
** **Chapter 3 – Shopping List for a Fresh Start**

* * *

 _Erin looks back down at Kelly's pale and placid expression as his pulse starts to fade and his breathing shallow and then….stop. "No…you can't….die. You can't die!"_

 _"Kelly!"_

"Ms. You have to move."

"Erin."

"We need to get…"

"Erin!"

She feels Voight's hands pull her away from Kelly Severide's limp frame to let the medics have a turn at bringing him back to life before they all lose him for good.

"Hope Jay tossed away the handcuff keys on that ass!" She hisses as she watches one of the medics performing CPR while the other readies the AED to jumpstart Kelly's heart back to life.

"CLEAR!"

"Come on…" she offers nervously, as Voight looks at her with a small frown. "After all that…you want him to die?" She retorts angrily; misreading his expression.

"AGAIN!"

"No. He comes from good stock. He'll be ok…"

"He's back!"

 _"Thank God,_ " she whispers in haste.

"Stabilize!"

"Stop the bleeding!"

"We gotta move now!"

Her lips stifle a small gasp as his body is hoisted onto the stretcher and then strapped down, his bloody jacket caught up in the straps and his skin a deathly shade of pale.

"Ride with him," Voight suggests as she looks up in surprise. "Casey will meet you at the hospital."

"Okay," she agrees as she hurries after the medics, pausing briefly to tell Voight where she had tossed her badge and gun. She pulls her coat tighter around her as she hops into the back of the ambulance and then looks at Kelly's unmoving frame with a heavy heart.

"Will he be…okay?"

"He's lost a lot of blood and we can't tell what internal damage the bullet has done. Are you his wife?"

"Wife?" She blurts out with an instant smile that quickly fades thanks to an inner scolding. "Friend," she utters in a tone so soft that the medic merely nods and then goes back to tending to the bloody wound and checking his blood pressure and pulse. "He has to pull through."

"Was he hurt anywhere else?"

"His uh…his side was kicked. Check his…ribs," she replies slowly as the medic nods and then starts to apply some pressure to Severide's sides. But when his face winces, Erin instantly reacts. "What's going on?"

"Him feeling the pain is actually a good thing. Means he's still alert and with us."

"Okay."

She watches his face wince under the mask and tries to tell herself the medic is right and he's still alive and if he feels pain it's actually a good thing. However, as she recalls him selflessly trying to save the woman, even after he was shot, her heart starts to ache and her eyes mist over.

"Into surgery!"

She hears the medics calling out words and codes as they finally reach Chicago Med and she hangs back and watches with a helpless expression as the medics rush through the ER doors and then disappears from view.

"Erin?"

She turns to see Matt Casey rushing toward her with a panicked expression and instantly her stomach seizes. "How is he?"

"I don't know. They just took him into surgery."

"What happened? Voight just said he had been shot."

"He was uh…shopping and…Jay and I were in patrol right down the block and…when we got there, a woman had already been shot and then…then they shot Kelly. He…even after he was shot he kept trying to help."

"Sounds like him," Casey replies with a heavy frown as he looks at her roughed up exterior. "And the woman that was shot?"

"They got her into surgery already. Hope she'll be okay but…but I don't know."

"You okay?"

"Yeah…fine just…worried."

"I'll update the house."

She watches him pull away to go and inform Chief Boden and the rest of Firehouse 51 and then turns and slowly wanders toward the entrance of the ER; Voight and Jay nearing her from behind.

"Any word?" Voight asks in concern.

"Not yet," she answers somewhat glumly, the tone not lost on her boss…or her partner. "But yeah…sure he'll be fine."

Voight's brows slightly arch as she holds his gaze for a few seconds and then looks away as she feels an incoming question and doesn't feel like answering it; especially if there's a chance her true feelings will betray her.

"I'm sure he will be too," Voight agrees as Antonio joins them and Jay pulls away to talk to the other member of their intelligence unit. "Something else you wanna tell me?"

"About what? You found my badge and gun right?" She asks in haste as Voight nods. "Then…there's nothing else to…talk about."

"Okay," Voight nods as he watches Boden and some from Firehouse 51 enter. He gives Erin a friendly squeeze on her shoulder and then pulls away to talk to Boden and the others wanting an update on their Squad Lieutenant.

But when he notices her quickly dart down a small hallway he's quick to follow; knowing that Boden would be told the news and then relay it to the 51 team without his help. Erin was his priority now. "Erin!"

She stops her fast walking and then turns to face her superior with a flushed expression.

"What's going on? The doctor just came and told us…Kelly's come out of surgery. He's going to pull through."

Erin slightly shakes her head as her lips part; but no words escape for the next few moments until Voight prods her once more.

"What's going on?"

"He…he was badly shot and he still he put me first and…" her voices dies out as his brows arch. "And did what…he was trained for…others first. I'm just…overreacting aren't I?"

"A tense situation like that brings out a lot of inner emotions."

Erin slightly cocks her head at her boss and looks at him in wonder. "I…gotta put in my report."

"Check on Kelly before you go. I'm sure he'll want to know you're okay."

"Sure," she tells him almost half-heartedly. She knows that with a room full of his family from 51, the last person, she tells herself Kelly Severide would want to see is her. So she tells herself that she'll just slip out and maybe come back the next day to see how he is. But as soon as she nears the entrance doors so the ER, one of the medics who had brought him in hurries up to her with a few items in her grasp.

"Detective Lindsay? Your…these were with Mr. Severide and we don't want them to get lost. Will you hold onto them and then give them to him?"

"Sure," she agrees with a timid smile as she takes them and then watches the medic head back to her partner and then looks down into her palms. His wallet, phone and a folded up piece of paper with a dried blood spot on it. With some trepidation, she slowly unfolds the piece of paper to reveal the grocery list. A small smile plays upon her lips as she reads his scribbles. But as her eyes travel downward, they stop on three little words and her breath catches and she knows she's doomed. _Damn…._ she inwardly curses as she looks at the exit doors and feels her heart starting to race. _Go…now!_

XXXXXXX

 _'Let her go…leave her alone…Erin!'_

A small gasp escapes his lips as his eyes snap open and he frantically looks around; his mind having shown him last that Erin was being dragged toward the back of the store and a gunshot was heard. He sees a darkened figured in the doorway and then forces his mind to focus.

"Matt…"

"Hey buddy, welcome back."

"What…happened? Where's…Erin?"

"Outside I think."

"So…she's okay?" Severide asks as Casey nods in agreement. "And the uh…the guys? Think I heard…one was shot or…what happened…to them?"

"One was shot and two were arrested."

"Any of the um….customers die? The woman…don't know her name…she was shot bad."

"She's going to be okay. No one died."

"All that for…a couple of bucks. That place doesn't keep much cash on hand," Severide groans as he looks up to see Boden entering the room. A few seconds later the room fills with the members of Firehouse 51, but the one person he wants to see, needs to see – Erin Lindsay isn't there and his heart starts to droop.

"Apparently that was their third hit that night."

"Third time's…a charm," Severide grimaces as Casey's face slightly softens. "Next time…you go for groceries."

"We'll send someone else."

"Otis," Severide offers a painful smile.

"Hey now…" Casey interjects with a smirk as Severide tries to laugh but it turns out more like a wince. "Hey buddy…I'll let you get some rest."

"Can you see if Erin's out there? Just uh…wanna make sure she's okay."

"Sure," Casey replies slowly as he looks at his friend in concern.

"Oh and…I don't know where they put my phone and stuff. Check with Halstead," Severide refers to Jay's brother who was the physician on duty when he was brought in. "Maybe gave to Boden?"

Severide watches Casey take his leave and then closes his eyes as he tries to get the dull thudding in his head to subside. His right hand lifts to pinch the bridge of his nose as his eyes close tightly. However, they quickly open as soon as he senses movement to his right and opens them in the hopes of seeing the elusive 21 intelligence detective.

"Just cleaning up a room in the recovery area Mr. Severide, we'll be moving you there shortly."

"…'kay thanks," he mumbles with a sleepy tone as the medical sedatives start to pull him into the darkness. His whole body tenses as he recalls the innocent, scared woman just wanting to call her family and how one of the hapless robbers shot her, out of mistake they said but he thought maybe to make an example to the rest.

 _'Please…tell my children…'_

 _'You're gonna tell them…just hold on okay?'_

 _'Erin…'_

 _'Kelly!'_

Once again his frame jolts him from his sleepy stupor about twenty minutes later but this time he looks over to the small table beside him and sees something on it, he didn't see before – his personal items. He would notice later, that one small piece was missing; small for him but would turn out to be a bit bigger in the long run.

"Mr. Severide," the nurse tells him as she enters the area in the ER he's in. "We're going to move you to recovery now."

He offers her a sleepy nod but doesn't fully pull himself from his sleepy stupor during the move to the recovery room and even when he arrives there remains in a horizontal position, not wanting to get up for fear that in his hazy stupor he'd fall a and hurt himself.

Casey had come up to make sure he had gotten settled for the night and then told his friend that he'd see him the following day. About an hour later, Severide slowly stirs and then looks around his quiet, dimly lit room before he slowly uprights himself and then waits for a few minutes to ensure he wasn't too dizzy and then gets off the bed and slowly heads toward the small bathroom.

But as soon as he opens the door to reenter his room, he stops short and his eyes instantly widen when he sees the person hovering by the small bedside table and a smile automatically plays across his lips. "Was hoping you'd come by."

"I found something…that you…dropped," Erin answers in haste as she leaves the little piece of paper on his table and steps back. "You were either asleep or busy so I thought I'd come by…later."

"Later is…good," he slightly falters as Erin instinctively rushes in to help him remain upright and get back to his bed. "Bad…timing."

"Hollywood should come calling," she lightly quips as his lips offer a soft chuckle.

"Okay so…maybe faked a bit of a fumble. But I'm okay…just a bit dizzy and…sore."

"You just had part of your appendix removed. Being sore…is a given," she adds as she helps him sit down on the bed. "I'm glad you're okay…or going to be. When we arrived and I saw your car outside and then heard you were a hostage I…I couldn't just sit outside and do nothing."

"You nearly got yourself killed," he reminds her in a soft tone as she pauses in pulling the blanket up to his chest, his hand resting on hers for a few seconds before allowing her to continue.

"Was more worried about you. Especially when you were shot and then you just…keep trying to help."

"Had to stop them…or at least try to," he explains with a small frown. "Are you going to…" he pauses as he finally notices the paper on the table, "stay…" he stammers as he reads what he wrote.

 _'Ask out Erin Lindsay.'_

Scribbled in blue ink by his own hand before the ill-fated shopping trip.

And then just below it, written in red – one word.

 _'Yes.'_

"Yes," she states as he slowly looks up to see her smiling at him; her hand dropping down to capture his. "I would have said yes no matter when you asked."

His hand holds onto hers tightly before she slowly sits down on the chair beside the bed and then leans in closer and plants a tender kiss on his stubbled cheek. She pulls back with a warm smile; his fingers tightening around hers a few seconds before loosening but not letting go.

"So…where do you wanna go for our first date?" He asks with a playful smile.

"Grocery store?"

"Not funny," he mockingly deadpans as she giggles. Despite the fact that he was in pain and his brain just wanted his body to slip into darkness and sleep; his heart instead winning the battle and keeping him awake long enough to enjoy her company and the start of something new for them both.

 **THE END!**

* * *

 **A/N:** And yeah left it a bit open ended hehe but promise I will write them on a proper date for our couple with no injuries (if you all want that‼) So please do review before you go and let me know if you want a stand a lone date and how you liked the ending to this little ficlet! Thanks everyone as always‼ you're what keep my muse writing more #Lindseride goodness!


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